LONDON -- President Barack Obama left Washington, D.C. aboard Air Force One bound for Europe for the first time as the leader of the free world Tuesday.

First on the agenda of his eight-day, five country trip, he will attend the G-20 summit in London on Thursday.

Click play to watch David Brody's report followed by a CBN News interview with Jim Pinkerton of the New America Foundation.

Besides working with world leaders to address the global financial meltdown, he will also be meeting with European leaders who did not support the U.S. war in Iraq and who disagreed with then-President George W. Bush about the treatment of captured terrorists.

Obama Fever in London

As presidential candidate Obama, he definitely felt the love throughout Europe. For President Obama not much has changed, yet.

"He's going to be the savior of the United States I guess and everybody is glad George Bush is gone," said one Londoner.

"From an economic point of view, we need to wait a little bit to see if the plan is working," said one man from Poland.

CBN News asked one British woman about her impressions of the new U.S. president.

"Good impressions," she replied. "He's going to make a big difference since George Bush was in power."

Headlines in London still trumpet Obama fever. You can expect world leaders will be lined up for photo opportunities with the popular president.

Security Tight As Scotland Yard Prepares For Protests

Obama's contingent will resemble a cast of thousands, not to mention an armored-plate limosine. Security is extremely tight with Secret Service and advance teams scoping out key locations for signs of trouble, even traces of lethal bacteria.

Meanwhile, London Police patrolmen and their horses are ready as Scotland Yard braces for violence. They are spending close to $15 million to stop radical groups from trashing the city, while sending a message to greedy bankers during this global recession.

"We will be challenged," said Simon O'Brien, G-20 police commander. "We will be stretched, but this is the metropolitan police service. This is the complex capital city. These are the sorts of challenges we deal with on a regular basis."

CBN News went to the headquarters of Bank of England. Although, the scene is peaceful now, tomorrow that could all change. The bank will be Ground Zero, protest central. Many of the bankers who work here have been told not to dress in suits, but instead to wear jeans so they look like regular people and so they don't get slimed.

The London Stock Exchange may be stormed and one anarchist group is thinking of coming to town in an armored tank.

"I think quite a few people in London have been told not to turn up to work on that day," said one resident. "So yes, there is a bit of fear."

Talks With China, India and Russia

The president though will be nowhere near the protesters. Besides attending the summit on Thursday, he will have an important one on one meetings with the leaders of China, India and Russia.

His discussion scheduled for Wednesday with Russian President Dimitry Medvedev could prove most interesting as they are set to discuss the thorny issues of missile defense in eastern Europe and Russia's ties to Iran.